PMO Learning: Learning Outside the Syllabus

When completing formal training, what are our typical objectives? To pass an exam? To get a grasp on new PMO concepts? To take what you have learned and implement it within your organisation?

Whilst all of these objectives are valid, it is very rare we recognise the ‘softer’ benefits of completing training courses.

PMO Learning not only aims to provide fantastic formal training for delegates also providing an environment and a level of facilitation f in which learners can take away more than just a certification.

PPSO Essentials

After recently completing the PPSO Essentials Course, I was asked for feedback, which has given me the opportunity to reflect on what I have taken away from the course.

Of course, the trainer and course content were fantastic – extremely knowledgeable and experienced, a thorough and comprehensive introduction to the PMO, and a well-structured schedule which didn’t leave us feeling overwhelmed, or, like many of us completing virtual training, that I had experienced the classic ‘death by PowerPoint’!

I was thrilled that my hard work had paid off, and I passed my exam, but the highlight of the course was not Risk Management, nor was it the Activity Diagrams!

In fact, I think what enriched our experience the most was learning from each other. As cliché as it may sound, these added benefits can’t be taught, or written into syllabus, but rather come from an environment in which delegates (and trainers!) are encouraged to support each others learning, which happened in a plethora of ways.

Firstly, our different backgrounds definitely played a significant role in the course experience – we had delegates who were brand new to the PMO (like myself!), some who were just beginning their PMO careers, and others who were looking to set up a PMO within their organisation.

One of my personal objectives after completing the course was to gain a greater understanding of the PMO in context, and to recognise what the organisational structure of a PMO looks like.

Having other delegates outline what their organisations look like, sharing anecdotes about previous project experience and explain how their role fits into the structure helped bring the diagrams from the slides to life, and provided the context I was looking for.

Furthermore, the variety in experience helped to patch gaps in others knowledge and experience.

Of course, different delegates grasped each topic at a different rate, and the flexibility of the course timing meant no one was left behind!

Where some topics needed extra time to ensure everyone was on the same page, our trainer, Eileen, had great patience and supported each delegate at the right speed to make sure we all understood.

Again, the disparities in our professional experiences was of a great benefit to us here – each of us had different skill sets, and so being able to explain the various concepts from our personal perspectives provided clarity, where previously we may have been confused.

This is where PMO Learning really makes the difference – we weren’t simply expected to sit and ingest hundreds of slides; our strengths, limitations and experiences were considered throughout the entire five days, and our personal needs and objectives were constantly addressed and referred back to.

Eileen even went above and beyond, creating additional worksheets for us to complete in areas we were struggling with and made herself available outside of the classroom whenever we needed her.

It is these details and demonstrations of extra efforts that make PMO Learning’s delivery and training really stand out. The training environment steps away from the notion that formal qualifications and training can’t provide you with more than a certificate, and the value of a collaborative and supportive learning space ensured that our learning went beyond the syllabus.

Interested? Check out our full training schedule here!